Tlingit Art

The distinctive art of the Tlingit is reflective of their culture, ancestry, and collective histories. Like many styles of the Northwest native cultures, creatures from nature and mythology are displayed in various states of realism. Most forms are defined by features such as eyes, joints, fins, and feathers being fragmented with bold black lines, and filled in with red and blue hues. Although mostly found on utilitarian and personal objects of these tribes, the unique art form became revered after being displayed at the San Francisco Exposition of 1931 and the Museum of Modern Art in New York in 1949. Carving is by far the largest example of Tlingit artwork seen, with a wide variance of materials used to create intricate pieces. Most of these carvings were seen in ceremonial art; staffs, masks, and rattles of cedar wood and metal were used for potlatches and healing ceremonies. For these potlatches, elaborate utensils were created from both alder wood and animal horns. Carved wooden boxes stored food and clothing, and were even filled with water and hot stones for cooking. Family crests and emblems adorned wooden screens that divided living quarters in large houses. However, totem poles are the most notable art form seen from the Tlingit people. The figures featured on totem poles are comparable to family crests, featuring animals used in describing the tale of a clan’s history and mythology. Bears, killer whales, and eagles were commonly carved into these large columns of wood; these animals may have assisted in the survival of the clan or contributed to a major discovery in their legends. For example, one well known totem pole tells the story of Kets, a man who, after hunting in the woods for a bear, fell in love with a female grizzly disguised as a human. However, totem poles can also be crafted in commemoration of an event, such as a birth or war. A deceased member of a clan, often a beloved chief, could also have their ashes stored in a compartment within the pole. Since the story displayed on the totem pole was typically decided by a former clan, the meaning of a totem pole can be lost throughout many generations. In addition, many of these works, up to ninety feet in height, were destroyed by Christian missionaries under the misconception that they were a form of idolizing the Tlingit deities. Fortunately, these unique pieces, artworks representative of the Tlingit way of life, are still being created to this day, often within the entrances of ceremonial buildings.Sources: http://www.everyculture.com/multi/Sr-Z/Tlingit.html#b ; http://www.denaliincorporated.com/Pages/tart.htm